Chanel Cleeton Books

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Chanel Cleeton is a bestselling Cuban-American author that writes romance, historical fiction, and general fiction. She attended Richmond, The American International University, London, and the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The author would have stayed in London if not for a fighter pilot that swept her off her feet. For a time, it looked like Cleeton was destined to spend her days in a courtroom. But Law school quickly showed her that she was too much of a romantic to abandon her publishing dreams.

The author’s passion for writing began with a love for reading. She remembers reading Carlos Eire’s memoir (Waiting for Snow in Havana) and feeling inspired to write fiction rooted in her Cuban heritage.

She doesn’t know whether the memoir was the first book that inspired her to become an author. It stuck with her because the book starkly reflected her family’s story. It moved her tremendously because she’s the child of Cuban exiles who came to the United States in the wake of the Cuban revolution.

It took Cleeton over a decade to enter the publishing arena, from when she started her first manuscript to when she found a publisher. Initially, the author downplayed the importance of her publishing dreams.

She had dabbled in writing, but Cleeton couldn’t bring herself to take it seriously. In fact, she submitted her first manuscript, having decided to abandon writing if the book was rejected. She believed that a rejection would prove that writing and publishing were not for her.

But then she sent out her first book and received a slew of rejections. Everything changed. Rather than accepting defeat, the rejections lit a fire under her. She quickly realized that she badly wanted to succeed in publishing.

Rather than giving up, the author went back to the drawing board and wrote a new book. This time, she landed an agent. Cleeton usually bases her stories on real-life people and events. For instance, Evangelina Cisneros inspired ‘The Most Beautiful Girl.’

Evangelina was a real 18-year-old revolutionary from the late 19th Century. With ‘Next Year in Havana,’ the author turned to a story her father told her. The night before the family decided to leave Cuba, they gathered in the backyard and buried their valuables. They thought they would return and reclaim them.

Cleeton spent her childhood listening to stories about her family’s lives before they left Cuba and the hardships they faced once they migrated to the United States. The author uses those stories to bring her characters to life.

She is surprised that audiences have reacted so strongly to her novels. The author does extensive research because she knows that her books are educational for many readers. Cleeton’s research involves reading as many memoirs and interviews and watching as many documentaries as possible.

She also talks to experts that lived through the events she hopes to explore. On occasion, she will dig into declassified CIA documents. The author tries to ground her characters in their era. She doesn’t want them to act as if they have the benefit of hindsight.

Best Chanel Cleeton Books

The author writes books like ‘Next Year in Havana’ because they make her feel closer to her family. Cleeton’s best books include:

Next Year In Havana: Elisa Perez was 19 in 1958, and her status as a sugar baron’s daughter had protected Elisa from Cuba’s growing political unrest until she shattered the bubble by falling for a revolutionary.

Meanwhile, in 2017, Marisol Ferrera must travel to Cuba to scatter her dead grandmother’s ashes in her home country. Elisa told her granddaughter many romantic stories about Cuba before she died.

Now, Marisol will see Cuba for herself. She will taste the country’s air, admire its beauty, and recoil from its dangerous political environment. Over time, new details about her family’s history will come to light.

When We Left Cuba: Beatriz Perez had a mission. Once a sugar heiress, Beatriz had watched as the Cuban Revolution took everything she held dear. Now she works for the CIA. They want her to secure a place in Fidel Castro’s inner circle.

But the world of espionage is dangerous, and Beatriz is struggling to see past her quest for vengeance.

When Does The Next Chanel Cleeton book come out?

The next book by Chanel Cleeton is The Lost Story of Eva Fuentes and will be released on July, 1st 2025.

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